Tag: books
True Crime in Tuscany: The Monster of Florence
The Monster of Florence is a true crime tale about a serial killer who terrorized the Tuscan hills around Florence for almost 20 years.
The Real Pinocchio
Last November, the New York Review of Books released Carlo Collodi’s The Adventures of Pinocchio under its NYRB Classics imprint. The tale, as reviewed by Tim Parks in the latest issue, is much darker than the Disneyfied version. After the jump is Parks’ full review. As always, I urge you to subscribe to NYRB; they…
Caravaggio’s Innovative Painting Techniques
Master Baroque artist Caravaggio used a “camera obscura” among other techniques to trace the models in his paintings. According to a Florentine researcher, Caravaggio made use of a dark room, first described by Leonardo da Vinci, and was able to fix the outline of his subjects in order to paint them. It’s unclear whether the…
Farewell to Italian Historian Christopher Hibbert
Farewell to Christopher Hibbert, whose biographies of Rome and the Medici family established him as one of the foremost authorities on Italy’s history.
‘Monster of Florence’ and ‘Rome 1960’: Two Of Summer’s Most Intriguing Reads Are Set in Italy
I am supremely excited about two new nonfiction books this summer: The Monster of Florence and Rome 1960. Both books describe tumultuous times in central Italy. The first is a period of time in Florence when an unknown predator (or predators) “stalked lovers’ lanes in the countryside.” The second goes in-depth about the 1960 Olympic…
Renaissance Florence According to Rushdie
Salman Rushdie imagines Renaissance Florence in his new book “The Enchantress of Florence.”
Shopping For Italy’s Best Artisanal Traditions
We recently profiled the Civilized Shopper’s Guides to Rome and Florence, two handy shopping guides for two of Italy’s most popular cities. Landing on bookshelves this week is the second edition of Made in Italy: A Shopper’s Guide to Italy’s Best Artisanal Traditions from Murano Glass to Ceramics, Jewelry, Leather Goods, and More. Written by…
Bringing Home the Best from Italy
It’s one thing to go to Italy and bring back photos, cheap souvenirs, and designer clothing that you could have bought at just about any department store or outlet. It’s quite another to bring back items that Italy is known for – quality leather, handmade paper, artisan chocolate, etc. That’s why I really like…
